Description
The Completions/Production and Digital Energy Study Groups Present a Unique Joint Event and Dinner Presentation
Data Management Challenges of Distributed Measurements in Unconventional Wells
Typical North American shale gas wells are characterized by long horizontals and multiple stages of hydraulic fracturing. Economic success relies on effectively and efficiently stimulating the entire reservoir along the horizontal well. Most wells do not include lateral monitoring at all, leaving the engineer uncertain of the fluid distribution in both the completion and production phase. Distributed well monitoring is ideally suited for this well types because they are capable of monitoring the entire lateral at one time, giving engineers the ability to discriminate between sections of the well. The most common distributed measurement is the fiber-optic based technology DTS (Distributed Temperature Sensors). However, other distributed measurements are expected to grow in the future.
There are several challenges associated with collecting and managing distributed data. Most notable is the differentiator of the data to be used both statically, like a log, and dynamically, like a point gauge. This requires software and data communication requirements that are not normally anticipated in normal operations. The author has taken note of the process and results of a handful of DTS applications. He would like to share the challenges and gives lessons learned when applying distributed measurements to these well types.